Vending-machine.



PATENTED JULY 3, 1906. G. WILES & B.. G. HASKBLL.

VENDING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED JULY1,1904.

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v PATENTED JULY 3, 1906.

G. WILBS & E. G. HASKBLL.

VENDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JULYl, 1904.

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UNITED STATES PATENT o EIo GRANT WILES, OF SORANTON, AND EDWARD G. HASKELL, OF PHILA- DELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNORS TO AMERICAN SALES GOM- PANY, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF M AINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

VENDING-MACHINE.

katenteci July 3, 1906.

Application filed July 1,1904. Serial No. 214,930.

To all whmn it 77mg concern.-

Be it known that we, GRANT WILEs, residing at Scranton, in the county of Lackawanna, and EDWARD G. HASKELL, residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia, State of Pennsylvania, citizens of the United States, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Vending-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention comprises improvements in automatic vending-machines whereby with a very simple arrangement and a minimum number of parts the machine will operate to deliver packages when a coin of the proper kind is placed in the machine, but will refuse to operate when a spurious coin or check is inserted. Means are also provided for preventing the operation of the machine more than once with a single coin.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical section through the casing of a vending machine, showing our improved mechanism in side view. Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2, the operation of the connecting device being indicated in dotted lines. Fig. 4 is a similar detail view showing the operation of the magnet and stripper. Fig. 5 is a bottom plan view of the pusher. Fig. 6 is a top plan view of the mechanism. Fig. 7 is a horizontal section through the same, taken on the line 7 7 of Fig. 3. Fig. 8 is a similar view on the line 8 8 of Fig. 3; and Fig. 9 is a rear elevation of the scraper or stripper for stripping magnetizable checks from the magnet on the pusher.

Referring to the drawings, A indicates the casing of a vending-machine, which may be of any suitable form and which is provided with one or more compartments B, adapted to hold in vertical columns the articles C, which are to be sold. These articles are supported by a platform D in the usual manner. A coin-controlled operating device E is provided for each vertical column of packages or articles, and this device when operated pushes the lowermost package or article in the column rearwardly off of the platform D, the package or article falling upon the bottom A of the casing, from whence it may be refinger-piece 8, projectin pending flange moved by hand, the coin simultaneously dropping into the coin-receptacle F.

The coin operated device E comprises front and rear supporting-plates 1 and 2, respectively, suitably secured to the casing and connected together by parallel rods 3, 4,. and 5 and a guide-bar 6. The upper rods 3 and 4 form guides for a sliding pusher g, which is movable back and forth upon said rods. This pusher comprises a flat plate 7, having a coinslot 7 near its forward edge, a push rod or horizontally from it forward edge at one si e thereof, and a (le- 9 at its rear end. The pushrod or finger-piece 8 extends through a suitin the front plate 1 in the usual manner, an notches 10 in the ends of the depending flange 9 uide the rear end of the pusher upon the ro s 3 and 4. The finable guide-openin ger-picce *8- is provided with a shoulder 8 and the pusher is normally held in its forward position with this shoulder abutting against the front plate 1 by a pair of springs 11. coin-slot 12 of the exact size to permit a coin i of the proper denomination to enter the machine is arranged in the front plate 1 at a suitable distance above the pusher, anda curved plate 13, forming the front wall of a coin-chute, extends from the lower edge of the slot 12 to the forward edge of the slot 7 a in the pusher when the latter is in'its normal position.

The rear wall of the coin-chute is formed by a shutter h, which, as shown, is pivoted between the two arms of a yoke or bracket 14, which latter is secured to the rear side of the front plate 1 and the pole-pieces of a horseshoe-magnet i, which is secured upon the pusher by suitable means, such as the screw 15 and clamping-piece 16. The part 17 of the shutter h in the rear of its pivotal point is inclined downwardly, as shown, so that it will lie in the path of the magnet, and the forward part 18 of the shutter is longer and heavier than the rear end, so that when the pusher and magnet are moved rearwardly, as shown in Fig. 4, the forward end of the shutter will fall and close the coin-slot 12, whereas when the pusher-and magnet approach their normal forward positions the magnet will engage and operate the shutter so as to uncover the opening 12. It is therefore impossible to insert a coin in the coinchute except when the pusher is in its normal position.

When a coin 0 of the proper denomination to operate the machine is inserted into the coin-chute, the coin is directed into the slot 7 in the pusher and is then supported, with its upper edge within said slot, by meansof a short horizontal coin-supporting pin 19, se cured to the front plate, and a coin-support 20, which depends from the lower side of the pusher adjacent to one end of the coin-slot 7 The coin-supporting devices 19 and 20 are separated by a distance slightly less than the width of a coin of the proper denomination for operating the machine. Coins of greater diameter than a coin of the proper size will not pass through the slot in the front plate, and a coin which is too small will drop through between the supporting devices 19 and 20. It follows, therefore, that a coin in order to operate the machine must be about the size of the slot 12. When the coin is supported by the coin-supports 19 and 20, the lower edge of, the coin is immediately in front of a connecting device j, which is hinged to a delivery-slide 7c. This delivery-slide extends through a horizontal slot 21 in the rear plate 2 and is supported and guided at its forward end upon the guide-bar 6 by a flange 22, depending from said slide and having a vertical slot 23, through which the guide 6 extends. The delivery-slide is held normally in its forward position (shown in full lines in the various figures of the drawings) by a spring 24,

, attached-to the slide and to the front plate.

The delivery-slide consists of a rectangular frame, and the connecting device y' extends through the central open portion of the'frame and rests upon the top of the guide-bar 6. As shown in the drawings, the connecting device consists of a strip of metal hinged-at one end to the forward part of the delivery-slide, as indicated by the numeral 25, thence extending rearward and having an upward projection 26 in the rear of the normal position of the coin-slot 7 a and adapted to be engaged by the coin and a downwardly-projecting part 27, which rests upon the guide-bar 6.

The upper edge of the forward part of the guide-bar 6 is straight and substantially parallel with the delivery-slide and forms a supporting-surface for the connecting device, which supporting-surface terminates at a notch or depression 28, which is formed in the rear portion of the bar-at a point relatively to the range of movement of the slide, which will permit the connecting device to move downward out of engagement with the coin as soon as the slide has moved into position to eject a package. The forward end 'rives at the depression 28.

the connecting device 1, and thus firmly gripped between said device and the walls of the coin-slot 7 and the connecting device,

with the delivery-slide, will move rearwardly until the part 27 of the connecting device ar- By this time the package or article has been moved out of the vertical column of packages by the deliveryslide, and the supporting leg or part 27 of the connecting device falls or is forced into the notch by the pressure of the coin and allows the lower edge of the coin to pass over the top of the upward projection 26. The coin, which is thus released from its engagement with the connecting device and no longer gripped between the walls of the slot 7 then drops into the coin-receiver and the deliveryslide is instantly drawn backward into its 1 normal position by its spring 24.

The camsurface 28 allows the connecting device to move easily out of and into the notch 28. The machine cannot be operated by soft material, such as lead or materials which break easily, as the tension of the spring 24 is such that materials of the character mentioned will bend or break before the delivery-slide can be moved into operative position.

The magnet 11 is provided in order to prevent the operation of the machine with magnetizable checks, such as iron or steel disks or washers. As previously explained, the polar faces of the magnet form a part of the rear wall of the coin-chute, and a check of iron or steel inserted into the coin-chute will adhere to the poles of the magnet, and thus be prevented from going through the slot 7 in the pusher into position to operate the machine. The pusher may be moved backward freely at any time; but of course the delivery-slide will not operate unless a coin passes through the slot 1n the pusher and engages the connecting device j. When an attempt is made to operate the device b a magnetizable check, the latter, as be ore stated, adheres to the poles of the horseshoemagnet, and when the pusher is moved backward this magnetizable check is stripped from the magnet by a stripper or scraper m and falls over the beveled forward edge 29 of the pusher and into the" coin-receiver instead of passing through the slot 7 in the pusher. As shown in Fig. 9, the stripper m consists of a plate having fingers m, m and m which fit between and at the sides of the two arms of the magnet, and this stripper or scraper is IIO hinged at its upper end upon a pin 30,, passing through the arms of the bracket or yoke 14 and into ears 31 upon the stripper. The stripper is normally held against a part 14 of the bracket 14 by a light spring 32, and the arms or fingers m, m, and m of the stripper lie normally in the rear of the polar faces of the magnet, as shown in Fig. 3., and are inclined downwardly and forwardly and at an angle to said polar faces. As will be seen by an inspection of Fig. 4, when the pusher is moved rearward, with a magnetizable check 0 adhering to the pole-pieces of the magnet, the stripper-fingers first engage the check at its lower edge, and thus incline the check in the direction of the forward beveled edge of the pusher, and when the poles of the magnet are moved entirely to the rear of the stripperfingers the check is released and slides downward past the forward edge of the pusher. If the check adheres strongly to the magnet, the spring 32 will be stretched a little, and when the check is released the latter will be projected by the retraction of the spring over the inclined edge of the pusher and cannot possibly fall into the slot in the pusher.

In order to prevent operation of the device two or more times in succession with a single coin, we provide a bail n, the arms 33 and 33 of which are, as shown, hinged to the ends of the bar 5, and the main portion 33 of the bail extends parallel with the bar 4 and adjacent to a tooth 34 upon the end of the flange 9 of the pusher. A notch 35 is arranged in the part 33 of the bail a short distance in the rear of the normal position of the tooth 34. This bail is normally pressed toward the tooth 34 by a suitable spring 36 and is normally held out of engagement with the tooth by a cam 37 projecting laterally from the delivery-slide and engaging the forward arm 33 of the bail. When the delivery slide is moved backward during the proper operation of the device, the cam-surface 37 passes out of engagement with the arm 33*, and the part 33 of the bail or detent is pressed by the spring 36 against the holding-tooth 34, and as soon as the latter passes the notch or shoulder 35 the latter will be moved into position to intercept the tooth and prevent the return movement of the pusher. After the pusher has been moved backward part way, therefore, to operate the device it cannot be returned far enough to allow the delivery-slide to get behind the rear end of a succeeding package, and the only way of returning the parts is to press the pusher rearward until the connecting device drops into the slot 28. When this occurs, the package is delivered and the pusher and deliveryslide are disconnected by the release of the coin. The slide then moves to its normal position, and the cam-surface 37, engaging the arm 33 of the detent-bail, throws the latter out of engagement with the tooth on the pusher and permits the latter to be returned by its spring.

Having described our invention, what we claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In an automatic vending-machine, a pusher having a coin-slot therein, and means for holding a coin partly within said slot when the pusher is in normal position, a delivery-slide, a spring normally holding said slide in its inoperative position, a fixed guide having a supporting-surface extending in the direction of movement of the slide, a connecting device flexibly connected with the slide and adapted to be engaged by the coin and pressed thereby against said supporting-surface durin the entire operative movements of the pusher and slide, said supporting-surface terminating at a point, relatively to the range of movement of the slide, which will permlt the connecting device to be forced by the pressure of the coin out of engagement with the coin after the slide has been operated far enough to eject a package.

2. In an automatic vending-machine, a pusher having a coin-slot therein, and means for holding a coin partly within said slot when the pusher is in normal position, a delivery-slide, a spring normally holding said slide in its inoperative position, a connecting device hinged to said slide and adapted to be engaged by the coin, a fixed guide-bar arranged to support the free end of said connecting device in the normal positions and during the operative movements of the pusher and slide, said guide-bar having a depression arranged to permit the connecting device to move away from the coin after the slide has been moved into position to eject a package. 7

3. In an automatic vending-machine, a sliding pusher having a coin-slot therein, means for supporting a coin partly within said slot in the normal position of the pusher, a spring-pressed delivery-slide below said pusher, a connecting device hinged near the' forward end of said slide and extending rear- Wardly and upwardly to engage the coin, and a guide-bar arranged to support the free end of the connecting device in the forward position of' the delivery-slide, said guide-bar having a depression arranged to permit the connecting device to move away from the coin after the slide has been moved into position to eject a package.

4. In an automatic vending-machine, a pusher having a coin-slot therein, means for supporting a coin partly within said slot in the normal position of the pusher, a springpressed delivery-slide beneath said pusher, a guide -bar arranged beneath said slide, a

connecting device movable with said slide and adapted to engage the coin, said connecting device having a part normally resting upon said guide-bar, and said bar having a recess, for the purpose set forth.

5. In an automatic vending-machine, the combination with a pusher having a holdingtooth, of a spring-pressed detent-bail adapted to bear against said tooth and having a notch for engaging the tooth, a deliveryslide having a laterally-projecting cam-surface normally holding said bail out of en- In testimony whereof we aflix our signa- I 5 tures each in the presence of two witnesses.

GRANT WILES. EDWARD G. HASKELL. Witnesses as to signature of Grant Wiles:

O. E. LEE, A. E. REYNOLDS. WVitnesses as to signature of E. G. Haskell:

GUERNSEY A. HALLowELL, O. RonGER MELLING. 

